1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to dental x-ray diagnostics installations for producing panorama tomograms of the jaw of a patient, and in particular to such an installation wherein the tomogram is electronically recorded in a manner which simulates recording on conventional moving x-ray film.
2. Related Application
The present application is related to another application entitled "Dental X-Ray Diagnostics Installation For Producing Panorama Slice Exposures Of The Jaw Of A Patient" (Werner Guenther, Manfred Muether, Erich Heubeck, Michael Doebert and Leonhard Werner) filed simultaneously herewith and having Ser. No. 140,123.
3. Description of the Prior Art
A dental x-ray diagnostics installation is described in German Patent No. 26 46 638, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,537. This installation includes a unit which is rotatable about a vertical axis which has an x-ray source and a secondary diaphragm, with a detector disposed behind the diaphragm. The carrier unit is rotated about the head of a patient as the patient is exposed to x-radiation, and the detector generates electrical signals proportional to the intensity of the radiation incident thereon. The electrical signals are supplied to an analog-to-digital converter, with the resulting digital signals being entered and stored in an image memory. A computer uses the stored data to calculate a complete image of the patient's jaw obtained during a full exposure, and the image is visually represented by an image reproduction means.
In the above-described known system, the panorama x-ray exposure can be electronically recorded and stored, instead of being recorded and stored in the conventional manner on x-ray film. This permits the image to be reproduced on a television monitor.